A Focus On Community.

A defining part of the NTR experience is educating residents about the communities and cultures of the students they will teach. In order to build meaningful relationships with students, teachers need to understand their students inside and outside of the classroom.

Our partner schools span Nashville’s vibrant, diverse communities, and residents will learn about all of them, focusing in particular on the specific communities in which they will serve. Over the course of the residency year, residents will:

Take classes informed by critical race theory, examining issues of power
and privilege and the ways in which they impact urban education.

Study Culturally Responsive Teaching in classes taught by experts in the field—How do you celebrate students’ cultures in the classroom and curriculum?

Attend panels of parents and teachers sharing their personal stories about race and culture in the classroom.

Learn the history of the Nashville communities in which they will teach through classes taught by the community leaders who know them well.

Participate in community tours led by their future students and their parents.

Volunteer in programs of their choosing in the neighborhoods in which their students live.

NTR is fortunate to have a number of partner organizations with deep ties to and knowledge of our Partner School’s communities. These organizations will shape and deliver much of NTR’s community and culture curriculum, with NTR helping residents focus on how to apply this knowledge to their classroom practice. If you know of or represent an organization that serves a community in which one of our partner schools is located, please contact us!

Here are four inspiring organizations with whom we’re looking forward to partnering for years to come:

Community Nashville Building Bridges programs at the Oasis Center are designed to help participants identify and overcome biases and prejudices without sacrificing individual identity characteristics, such as faith, culture or gender.

At Conexión Américas, our mission is to assist Latino families realize their aspirations for social and economic advancement by promoting their integration into all aspects of life in Middle Tennessee.

On a foundation of Christian faith, Martha O’Bryan Center empowers children, youth, and adults in poverty to transform their lives through work, education, employment and fellowship.

Project Renaissance works to provide all Nashville children with the high-quality education they deserve by empowering and engaging families, advocating for supportive policy, recruiting effective educators, and supporting, growing, and creating great schools.